While it remains to be seen when J.J. Abrams will get to his Lance Armstrong movie that he’s producing, now that he’s involved in the world of “Star Wars,” a rival project is brewing and it’s already boasting some great talent.
Warner Bros. has picked up a movie about the cyclist that will be penned by Scott Z. Burns (“Side Effects,” “Contagion“) and directed by Jay Roach (“Game Change,” “Recount“) which, given each of their resumes, is pretty exciting stuff. Helping in building the material to tell their tale, the project has secured the life rights of Tyler Hamilton, one of the racers on Armstrong’s team, who later testified against him, leading to his downfall. Hamilton was one of the first on the inside to speak out, appearing on “60 Minutes” to make the revelation, and that show’s producer Michael Radutzky is also looking to join on the untitled movie as well.
Even though he’s no longer racing — or at least not at the moment — Armstrong is gathering just as many headlines now as he was when he was shifting gears. His Oprah Winfrey interview generated massive buzz, and he’s recently talked to Sports Illustrated as well. The question still remains whether the public can, will or should forgive him, particularly as it’s becoming more and more clear that Armstrong’s doping was just the tip of the iceberg in a sport rampant with it. Either way, it’s all the stuff of compelling drama, and Burns and Roach are some solid guys to take that on. [Deadline]
